Getting up close with a Martian moon: The amazing images taken by a space probe just 60 MILES away

Now a European spacecraft in orbit around Mars has captured these astonishing images of Phobos, the larger of its two moons.

The pictures reveal an irregular, non-spherical mass that is littered with craters.

Martian moon: Taken by Europe's Mars Express probe earlier this month, this image has been photometrically enhanced to illuminate the darker areas of Phobos, one of the least reflective bodies in the solar system

Due to the tight fly-by angle when Mars Express took this image of Phobos, only a small section of the picture is in focus, resulting in an odd 3D effect elsewhere

One of the least reflective bodies in the solar system, Phobos also orbits Mars below the synchronous orbit radius. This means that it moves around Mars faster than the planet itself rotates.

The images were taken by the European Space Agency's Mars Express - a spacecraft the size of a large fridge-freezer that has been circling Mars since Christmas 2003.

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The probe recorded the images during a fly-by just 100 kilometres away on January 9.

Due to the tight angle during the fly-by, a small part of the moon’s edge is only visible for the right eye resulting in odd 3D-perception in this area. Scientists have adjusted this part for better viewing.

Also, for the left eye at the left edge of the image four small data gaps have been interpolated.

Mars Express infamously gave Britain's ill-fated Beagle 2 probe a lift to Mars. While that mission ended in disaster, the Mars Express has been a fantastic success.

In focus: Superimposed on this photo are seven super resolution channel (SRC) images that show more details of the moon's surface

Lunar touchdown: The circles mark the previously planned (red) and currently considered (blue) landing sites for the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission

Over the last seven or so years its stereo, high-resolution camera has taken thousands of images of the surface, revealing the planet's awe inspiring beauty in unprecedented detail.

Mars Express launched in June 2003. The craft is a cube around 5ft by 6ft by 5ft with two 60ft-long radar antennae.

It is photographing the entire surface of Mars in high-resolution, producing a detailed colour map of the minerals on the surface, mapping the atmosphere and probing beneath the surface using radar.

Interest in Mars is at an all time high. In 2013, ESA is planning to launch ExoMars - a robotic rover than will explore the planet's surface. If successful, it will be Europe's first mission to the Martian surface.

The planet has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and has an average distance from Earth of 78million kilometres, but can come as close as 55.7million kilometres.

In orbit: An artist's view of Mars Express, which was launched in 2003